June 30, 2012

View of the day-Now here's a sign that we have been off work too long.  Al opened up the  tarp on the grain cart to find this bird's nest...empty.

We took it easy this morning, planning to go out to the field around 2:30pm to at least, do a test to see where we were at.  Marilyn drove the combine out and Al brought the straight header to the field, then after getting it hooked back up, Marilyn did a test.  The combine showed moisture of 16%...not a good sign, but we tested it with our small tester and it showed 13.8%, so Roger, the farmer, took the sample to town, after giving us a ride back to the camper.

Marilyn drove the tractor and cart out to the field and Al followed with the General, then we went back to the camper to wait for Rogers call with the moisture...it was 13.3%.  We were good to go.

Marilyn had forgotten that the monitor software had been updated by the ProHarvest guys and that meant a clean slate...so all the calibrations for moisture and yield needed to be done again.  This was quite obvious when the monitor showed 450 bushels and she couldn't fit it all in the cart...only 100 bushels too much.  Once Al called back with the correct amounts, we were back in business.


Here in South Dakota we have to make sure our loads on the truck are not overweight, so that means smaller loads.  Too bad the elevator is over 20 miles away, which in turn means Al might not make it back before the combine gets full.  When that happens, Marilyn gets to break the Freightliner out of retirement and put on her truck driving hat to drive it to the elevator...unless Al is on his way back, then we switch trucks on the highway and she brings the empty truck back to keep combining.

This field was only 35 acres and it was going well over 40 bushel per acre, so Marilyn did have a wait once, but Al said to wait and not put any on the Freightliner.  He took the second load in while Marilyn finished the field, filled the cart, then tarped it and headed for Winner.  Al had dumped the General and was fueling it up at the Winner, then waited until Marilyn showed up with the Dodge to get fuel for the combine.  After that was done, we went to MacDonald's for a late supper, then came back to Hamill.


The sky was lighting up all the way home and the storm warnings are out...hopefully it passes us by.


Three weeks to the day since we last combined...

June 29, 2012

View of the day- Al perusing the tables of treasures at the toy auction in Wakonda, SD.

Al wanted AIS at 8:30am...too bad he didn't inform Marilyn of that fact.  No problem, we were on the road by 9am and there really was no rush.  It was cloudy and threatening to rain in the morning and that threat followed us all the way to Wakonda, although we never got wet.


The 171 mile trip SE of Hamill was a nice change of pace...scenic through the Missouri River Valley and enough towns along the way to break the drive up.  As we drove through these towns, some of them were getting ready for their big summer rodeos, tractor pulls and other various types of events.  These communities work for months getting these events set up and hope that they are able to bring in spectators from around the area to enjoy what they have worked so hard on.  We did leave some funds in these towns, but it was only at the convenience stores...we were on a mission...but the streets were lined with vehicles and they probably never even missed us.

We got to Wakonda an hour and a half early, which gave us plenty of time to go down the "need it...need it..got it" list of toy tractors.  Al had already gone through the catalogue and the auction company had pictures of all the items on line, so he was pretty sure of exactly the items he wanted.  If the price was right, of course.  There was a lady sitting a couple of rows ahead of us with her list and when Marilyn saw her "palm pilot", she gave Al the elbow in the ribs to point it out to him.  It was exactly like his book, right down to the worn out spine and duct tape holding it together!

Finally the auction started and 5 items in, Al got to bid and won his first item.  There was a long gap before he got the next item...there were a lot of crazy bidders out there with too much money to spend.  The big selling item was an old Oliver dealership sign that went for  $7,000, give or take a couple hundred dollars. Yikes.  Al had thought the big lighted Versatile sign would be nice, but hauling the 5ftx8ft thing posed a challenge and then...where would we put it?  He didn't have to worry about it, somebody online bought it, another Versatile sign and the Big Roy brochures...for big bucks.


We stayed until all the toys had been sold, then Al thought he might like to get his hands on a Versatile Big Roy brochure...one page, that went for $140...which he didn't get.  We had been sitting since 1pm and it was 5:30pm when we decided it was time to hit the road...we didn't need anything else.  Al had gotten 10 items of the 20 or so that he had hoped to get, so he was happy with that.


We hadn't eaten since we had grabbed a snack at the first convenience store that we came upon in the morning, so we were looking for something substantial and we didn't want to take a chance and not find anything open for "real" food.  It only meant a 30 mile detour...and what's a few extra miles for us...so we turned south and went into Yankton and decided on Bonanza.  It wasn't.  Boy, has that place changed.  We thought we were going with a sure thing, something we were familiar with...we won't get fooled again.

We came back home the way we had driven down and this time we passed four or five fields with combines in them.  Some just testing, some patching out the dry stuff and some that were going to town, making dust.

That will be us tomorrow...maybe...

June 28, 2012

View of the day-Al giving the Freightliner a much needed swish under the hood.

We got a late start with our 'to-do' list...no big rush to get things done in the cool of the day.  Al got the everything from the Freightliner box unloaded, then brought it over to the 'shop' to get cleaned up.


Marilyn's first job of the day was to get the South Dakota harvesting stickers off the windshields of both big trucks.  For some reason, on the General, we kept the collection going and had the last 10 years worth, which a ND DOT officer told us had better not be there the next time we passed through his state.  The Freight looked the same with the exception of the addition of a 1994 harvest sticker.  Sentimental reasons...the first year on the harvest for the Big Shaker.

They had those stickers figured out, because they peeled off without hardly any residue left behind.  Once the windows were clean, Al got to take the pressure washer to the sludge that tends to cover most Detroit diesel engines, then clean off all the mud and oil on the rest of the frame.


Marilyn gave up on waiting for the CaseIH guys to get her the cables to hook her hopper camera up to the new monitor in the combine, and wired in the old monitor, just so she could keep track of how full the hopper was getting.  Once that was done she got a rear view mirror screwed into the pillar in the cab, to keep an eye on how the grain looks in the hopper through the back window.

Next on the list was getting the header off the high transport trailer and set up with to take out to the field...when the crop is ready to go.

We hardly had any wind today and even though the temps were under 90º, it was really sticky and the flies were hungry, which means something is coming up.  The best place to be after all that work, was back in the air conditioned camper...and that is just where we went.


Enjoy this video...

June 27, 2012

View of the day-Al getting the "creeper" lined up to give the Dodge a much needed oil change.

We got a lot of stuff accomplished today and we didn't even have to leave town.  We did take the Dodge for a short road trip out to one of the fields to see how close the wheat was getting.  It will be a few days yet.

Al looked after getting the combine and trucks serviced and ready to go...for when the wheat is fit...and Marilyn spent the day working on the shop trailer.

We got the oil tub mounted back on the hitch then tackled getting the new pegboard in just the right place so we could start unloading the  plastic tubs full of tools.  With the pressure washer and the compressor out of the trailer, there was lots of room to get organized.  We decided we wouldn't mount the compressor permanently in this trailer, just in case we want to use it when we can't get the shop close enough to what we are working on.  Of course, this meant coming up with a way to mount the hose reel so it would be portable, yet somewhat solid for winding and unwinding.

The weather was beautiful, it topped out around 87º and there was just enough wind to keep us cool...a far cry from what Oklahoma and Kansas are going through these days.

Tomorrow the shop trailer get finished...

June 26, 2012

View of the day-Slow day at the office...someone has a Diet Dr. Pepper drinking problem.


We took it pretty easy today, staying in as much as possible to keep out of the heat.  We did venture out in the afternoon to take a road trip to Winner...the first since we have been here.

We had an appointment to get the tires rotated on the Dodge and maybe an oil change if they weren't too busy.  They were too busy, but they got the tires done in no time at all and it only cost $20...pretty reasonable for six tires.

We stopped to pick up some pegboard at the lumber yard...the new shop trailer really needs to get organized.  After we got it strapped into the box for the road home, we went to Pizza Hut for supper, then Marilyn went to Pamida to pick up a few things.

We were shocked to see the Pamida store was closing and a Shopko will be going in, in its place.  There were some bargains to be had, but it was only supposed to be a short shopping stop, so there was no time to browse around.

We got back to the camper and had a chat with Cal before getting our purchases put away.  Not a real busy day.

But tomorrow, we start fixing again...

June 25, 2012

View of the day - Mount Rushmore.  What else can we say.


We were up early and raring to go...driving time again.  This time it was tacky tourist time as we headed west to the Black Hills to visit with Bob and Jeannie Gibbons, the folks we harvested for in Balcarres, SK last fall.  They were touring around and had given us a call to come out for a visit while they were in the state...and you know us...we love to drive. 


We left just after 9am and only had 20 miles to go on the 65mph highway, then once we hit the interstate and the 75mph zone it wasn't time at all and we had covered the 220 miles and were ready for lunch.


Bob and Jeannie had stayed in Hill City and had taken a scenic ride on the old train that runs between there and Keystone. We met them for lunch on the boardwalk in Keystone, had a good visit, then loaded up in our pickup and drove up to see Mt. Rushmore...what an amazing sight.


After going to the observation deck and getting some pictures, we went down to the information Centre to check out the displays and watch a video on the history of the mountain carving...hard to imagine until you see it.

The next thing we did was walk down 800 steps to see the sculpters studio...okay, it seemed like 800, more like 50.  In the studio was a large sculpture that was next to a window that Borglum, could see the mountain through.  When we were done, it was time to climb up those steps again to get to the parking lot.

We walked up about 25 steps, then stopped for a break.  Al was so frazzled that he sat on the brick wall and didn't even see the park bench beside him...and all he ever talks about is being able to sit on a park bench and watch the world go by.  We managed to find a winding path that took us most of the way back to the parking lot, so we didn't have to deal with the rest of the stairs.

We drove back into Keystone, got an ice tea, then sat out beside the tracks to wait for the train to come in so Bob and Jeannie could go back to Hill City for the night.  Once the train showed up, got serviced and watered, they were on their way...and so were we.

We took the scenic route through Rapid City, since Marilyn wasn't paying attention to the GPS and we knew it didn't have the new construction on it...we got out without incident and hit the interstate flying.


There were weather warnings out for the area we had just left and we hoped that the hour ride that Bob and Jeannie had on the open train was short enough to get them into shelter before it hit...and it was.  We stopped in Wall to have a quick supper, then rushed to stay ahead of the storm...which we accomplished.

We decided to take a short cut for the last 40 miles of the journey...perhaps next time we will try it during the daylight hours...and made it back home only 15 minutes later than Al had planned...10:40pm.  Another great day of driving, but we had a wonderful time and we didn't get any of the 105º temperatures that some of the other harvesters are suffering through.


Oh, wait...that's tomorrow...

June 24, 2012

View of the day-The view out the back window of the camper...everything is waiting patiently.


We got to sleep in, then finally had a day when we didn't have to start a vehicle or leave town.

First thing on the to do list was to get the books caught up...the receipt box was getting pretty full and our accountant would never allow us to show up with a shoe box full of paper.  That accountant being Al.  


He got everything organized into categories and months...Marilyn prefers categories, so that it is easier to search out a power bill by just looking in that folder.  Al, on the other hand prefers to do it by the month...a throw back to when we used to have to send in the Goods and Services Tax refund quarterly.  The compromise is the Canadian files are monthly and the US files go by category...win-win.

Marilyn got everything entered into the accounting program for both sets of books, then decided to take a walk to at least see what the weather was like outside.  A stroll out to the field about 1/4 mile from the camper was just perfect...enough wind to keep the bugs away and 80º.

Tomorrow we could have another road trip in store...

June 23, 2012

View of the day-Turkeys looking for a little action in the yard at one of the rummage sales we went to today.


There was rain again during the night, only .3" but lots of noise with it.  We had planned to get to Chamberlain early for the big flea market, but we figured we had all day,so the rush was off.

We made it to Oacoma to cruise around the  various booths...didn't find any treasures but we still had a few other places to check out. We cruised east to Pukwana to see what they had...more of the same, so we went back to Oacoma, had a late lunch, then went back to Hamill.


We took it easy the rest of the day...really easy...

June 22, 2012

View of the day - A few new turbines near Highmore, SD. 


It was an early morning as we were looking forward to seeing what the crop conditions were like on the way to Bismarck. We had the header trailer hooked up already, so all there was to do was brew a coffee to go and hit the road. We took our normal route on the way up, going through Gettysburg and stopping along the way to put up some posters. 

We are sooooo early that some of the crop in ND hasn't even headed out...but really...it is only June. That is getting to be something that is hard to get our head around...we wonder where it will catch up to us. We got up to Menoken, got the header parked, had a chat with the farmer while we drove around looking at the crop. The canola was just starting to bloom and the wheat was looking pretty good...still looking for rain to put it over the top.

Before we started back for Hamill, we figured we had better secure a camping spot...not an easy task we were to find out. The campground was full up another were four in a makeshift overflow waiting to grab a spot as soon as someone moved out. We left our name and said we would keep in touch unfilled our ETA of July 22...which could even be a bit early, but if it guarantees us a spot, we'll be there.

We came back to Hamill via Hoven, SD to drop off a check at the local newspaper for an ad that we had put in the paper for harvesting. It looks like might have to give Gettysburg a miss this year since the farmer we usually help out had a catastrophe with some chemical that was used just before a freeze...that will be the first time ever for us. In 23 years.

How depressing...the days are getting shorter...

June 21, 2012

View of the day-Marilyn getting the light changed on the tractor...one of several jobs that got accomplished today.


We had to get up early because the phone man was coming to hook us up with internet and he actually got here by 9am...that's service. Once he had us connected to the world, it was time for us to knock a few things of the to-do list.


We got the tractor and cart unloaded...the ground was really soft from all the rain, but we managed get the job done without wrecking anything.  We moved the tractor over to our "lot" by the camper so we could work on it close to the shop trailer.  We changed one of the field lights on the back of the tractor, then moved over to the revolving light on the General and got both bulbs working again on that unit.

Once we got a few other little things looked after, it was time for a road trip...after all, we can't go for one day without driving somewhere.  Chamberlain was the destination for the day...we had to go to the CaseIH dealer to get a few parts...and look at the toys hidden in the corner.  We also made a pit stop at the big antique dealer, where Al always manages to find something hiding in one of the corners...and he wasn't disappointed this time, either. We stopped to get groceries, then a quick snack at Arby's before heading back to Hamill.  


Back at the camper, Marilyn decided to do a bit of tweaking on the satellite dish...we weren't getting a good enough signal on the second satellite, so some channels were missing.  After moving it well past the trees, we were back in business.  It was a gorgeous evening out and we actually pulled the big pressure washer out of the shop trailer to give the pickup head a quick swish before the road trip tomorrow.


We are pulling it up to Bismarck, ND...2100 miles this week wasn't enough...  

June 20, 2012

View of the day-Everything is now in Hamill, parked and waiting.


There was a sprinkle during the night and the morning was overcast, cool and threatening rain again.  We got the camper closed up and ready to hook up, then went downtown to get the Freightliner started up.


After the startup, we were deciding what to do next, when we looked down the main street and saw a heavy wall of rain heading our way. Perhaps we should have hooked up the camper first.  We went to wait out the rain by going to grab a snack at the convenience store...it didn't let up.  We bit the bullet and went back to get wet hooking up the camper.


We got hooked up and headed out of town in the rain, fortunately it only lasted for about 20 miles.  The rest of the trip was uneventful, we stopped for a quick snack and a stretch at Springview, NE, and made it to Hamill just after 4pm.

It would seem that it was a good thing that we didn't come all the way yesterday or else we would have been trying to get parked in the rain...they had 3" last night!  It was really soft where we parked the camper...no mud, but a workout for the Dodge trying to get parked in just the right spot.  After we found the "sweet" spot, Marilyn got up on the roof of the camper and did some pruning of the dead branches that threatened to do damage to the slide out awnings.  At least the temperature was a lot cooler than when we usually come here


With everything hooked up, dish aimed and ready for the NHL awards that Al had to watch, we were settled in.  We tested out the BBQ for cooking one of the take and bake pizzas that we brought from Great Bend...a new favorite way to cook it.

Bad news was that we missed the internet man and the cell service is pretty poor, so uploading the blog has taken waaaayyyyy toooo looonnnggg....

June 19, 2012

View of the day-Pulling around the last corner for the day to get parked in Sargent, NE.

We decided we would split the last trip to South Dakota in about half, so there was no rush to get up early...Al called AIS for 11:59am.  Wasn't THAT different?

We got the trailer all set for transport, payed the tab at the campground, then headed for Liebenthal card lock to get the Freight aired up and ready for action.  We had a terrific wind pushing us from the south...40mph...it didn't take long to shift into the tall one, so we knew we would make good time.

The heat was another issue.  We didn't see the triple digits, but it was still in the high 90's and the Freightliner always adds another 60º to the ambient temperature, so it makes for a cozy trip.  We stopped a couple times to check the load and found no issues.  We only had a 210 mile trek for the day, so we made it in to Sargent around 5pm...a nice short drive for the day.


Odd, isn't it, how at any other time at home in the winter, 210 miles would be a trek?  And for some families an eternity.  But for us...another day in the life...

We got parked in Sargent, then got the camper parked, plugged in...kinda...and the A/C's running.  We went to the Ritz for supper and a shake...the latter was EXCELLENT...except for the size, it would kick Sonic's shake.  When we got back to the camper, Al could tell there wasn't near enough noise coming from the A/C...the breaker had tripped...this wasn't good.

After doing some rearranging, we ran the generator long enough to get the camper cooled down, then got the shore power going...only 30 amp...but enough to keep one A/C going.  No laundry tonight...can't take chances.


There were weather warnings out for the area, but it looks like they will all go north of us, so with the front passing through, we might have to deal with the same wind as today...but this time out of the north.

Can't complain, we have had it pretty good for all the moves till now...

June 18, 2012

View of the day-There is still some combining going on south of Great Bend...this time it's rye.


Today was old shop trailer rescue day.  We decided to go down to Burlington, OK the usual way, since we had to stop in Great Bend to pay off our electrician tab from last week. The plan was to pick it up and come back the scenic route through Coldwater and up Hwy 183 right into La Crosse.

We got our business done in Great Bend, stopped for lunch at Mr. Burger...where the burgers were delicious...then started out for Burlington.  Just as we were going through Medicine Lodge, our check engine light went on and the overhead computer had a message..."service needed, see your dealer".  What the heck??  That told us nothing.  Can we drive? For how long? Is this serious? Can we ignore it? And most importantly...where is the problem?


We drove around Kiowa looking for a service shop to see if someone could shed some light on the problem...a note on the only service shop said he was home sick today. We continued on to Burlington.

After settling up with RL and admiring the quick and thorough fix job, he suggested calling down to the NAPA dealer in Cherokee. We had Tom from NAPA do some work for us in past years and we were told he could at least put the code reader on to see what the problem was, so off to Cherokee we went.

Low pressure on the rail, was what the problem was...that really cleared things up. THAT was sarcasm.  Al called his buddy from Olson Diesel back in Yorkton and without seeing what the issue was, he suggested changing the fuel filter first.  Al thought that couldn't hurt since it hadn't been done since...oh, let's see...2010 in South Dakota!  They didn't have a filter there, but Tom cleared the code for us and we started back for Great Bend.  No scenic tour this time around. We stopped for a happy hour drink at the convenience store and ran in to our farmer, John, so we had a quick chat and then started back to La Crosse.

We had just gone through Medicine Lodge when the chimes went off and the warning light came on again.  We decided we had better see if we could find someplace in Pratt that had a filter...Bumper to Bumper was still open, it was 5:29pm and the man was just getting ready to turn the lock.  He waited for us and had the filter we were looking for, so Marilyn paid up just as another gentleman came in to pick up some parts that he had ordered.

Al asked the man behind the counter if he knew of anyone that could install the filter and it just so happened the guy who had just come in was Mike...from Mike's Repair, just three miles from town.  He told us to follow him out to his shop and he would change the filter for us.  Yay.

After we got the old one out and the new one in its place, Mike cleared the code again and we were on our way...for $30.  Don't think we could find that kind of service after 6 at home...unless you add another 0 to the rate.

We stopped in Great Bend to grab a take and bake pizza home, then went out to Leibenthal to hook the shop trailer onto the back of the cart trailer.  The lights even worked!


We called it a day, went back to the camper and had supper.  Tomorrow we pack up to move the last load north, but Al insists we will not drive all the way in one day...Marilyn is okay with that, even if there isn't a Walmart where we stop.

Just so long as we get there...

June 17, 2012

View of the day-Everything scattered in Hamill...but at least it made it there without incident.


We were up early and AIS was 7:30am.  By the time we got to Leibenthal, fueled and ready to hit the road it was after 8am and just starting to heat up.


We had a terrific wind pushing us, which really helped keep the trucks from working too hard, although by the time we got closer to our destination it was getting a lot tougher...the heat was stifling.


There was something going on today...perhaps it was just because it was Father's Day...our usually quiet highway was full of traffic, almost all the way to South Dakota. We knew it was forecasted to be in the triple digits in Kansas for today, but we had no idea that to would be that bad in Hamill...105 degrees...we were wrong.


We all know the best thing to do in the heat is load equipment...closely followed by unloading equipment and since we did not suffer enough on the road up, we did the latter.  At least the wind was still huffing to keep some of the sweat off.


We now had to find a new place to unload, since there was a new building where we usually unload. The town is not that busy, so we figured we would just unload in the street. While Marilyn got the header trailer parked, Al unhooked the shop trailer and drove the General far enough ahead so that she could hook up to the shop and get it parked out of the way.

Once we got room to unload, we unchained the combine, got it off the trailer and parked it in the "campground".  Al managed to get the General and trailer pulled in and parked next to Cal's Aker Eater II. By now it was time to turn and burn again...at least five miles down the road before remembering that we had forgotten to grab the license plate for the cargo trailer.  Back we went.

We left for real just after 5pm and this time the traffic was a lot more tolerable. We grabbed a sub in Bassett, NE and dropped the hammer for home. Another 730 mile day and home by midnight.


There will be sleeping in tomorrow...we go back to Cherokee to get the old shop trailer from the hospital...

June 16, 2012

View of the day-St. Joseph's Church at Leibenthal, KS...an impressive building made out of Post Rock.

Rain! It started around 2:30am and it was still raining at 5:30am.  Close to an inch here and more to the west, a big boost for the pastures and fall crops.

Marilyn had shopping on the brain and talked Al into going with her to Hays for the afternoon.  After a stop in Home Depot to check for "stuff" for the new shop, Al dropped Marilyn off at WalMart and took a tour around the implement lots.

About the time Marilyn was rounding the aisles to the food department, Al got the call to push the cart for the last lap.  After loading up the truck and stopping for a Sonic shake, we headed back to LaCrosse to unload the purchases, then get cleaned up to go to Rush Center to meet with Ken, Karen, Kevin, Mandy, Maddy and Macy for supper.

After supper and a visit, it was back to the camper, after a tour out to see that they had filled the bunker west of town...they had.

Tomorrow is road trip day...

June 15, 2012

View of the day-Al gets the tire back on after the wrestling match to get it off...it went a lot easier going back on.

We only had one thing on the agenda today...get everything loaded...but there wasn't a rush.  So let's wait until the heat of the afternoon to do it.  The rain that fell during the night brought anywhere from .75" to over 2"...much needed around here, so that helped to bump the humidity to the uncomfortable level.  The rain did an excellent job of washing off the machinery...Mother Nature is hired.


We had lunch at the cafe next to the campground...this was another one of those "egg police" places...no later than 10:30am.  We went with the lunch menu and Marilyn was curious to know if it works better to only have one waitress and 3 cooks, or 3 waitresses and one cook.  We had the former and the place was crowded.

After lunch, we went out to the card lock and started getting organized.  We unhooked the Freight from the trailer and Al took it over to the pumps to get it fueled up.  After he brought it back, one of the inside duals was low and of course, the valve stem was too short to reach with the air chuck.  We had to take off the outside tire to get to it...and they ain't light.

After several "discussions" we managed to get both of them off and Al took the low one into Rush Center to get it fixed.  Marilyn got the warning lights fixed on the tractor, then got the trailer lights working on the cart trailer so we can pull the old shop trailer behind and have lights, then she fixed the two-way radio antenna on the tractor, so hopefully we can get more than a couple miles out of it.

Al got back and we got the tires back on and started loading.  There was no wind, so it was tough going...the water jug got a workout.  We got the tractor and cart loaded on the trailer and hooked up, then unhooked the General from the combine trailer so Al could get it fueled up.


Marilyn worked on getting the backup camera set up in the combine cab so Al could see behind him on the highway, then got it lined up to load.  When Al got back with the General, we drove the combine on the trailer, hooked it up to the General and started chaining it down.

We still had the chain and tow rope on the combine...just in case...so we thought there should be a way to use the chain without taking the hooks off and re threading it through the small tie down holes.  After half an hour of different scenarios, we came up with one that worked, then we re wrapped the rope on the step and called the job done.

We went back to town, ordered a pizza, then went back to the camper to take it easy for the rest of the night.

Tomorrow is a trip up to Hays for some shopping...Marilyn is happy about that...

June 14, 2012

View of the day-The green wheat at Hamill, SD...we will sure have time to get some fixing done while we wait.


We were up early and the hope was AIS by 7:30am...it was, but in a different time zone.  We stopped for fuel at the Leibenthal card lock, then hooked up the pickup header trailer for it's trip north, 367 miles.

The trip was uneventful...a nice change...no breakdowns, no flats, just shut up and drive.  We made Hamill around 4pm, stopped to chat with Cal at the campground and checked out where we would be able to park everything.  Someone had bought the old school yard and put up a hunting lodge, so we were out of luck for parking at the old standby.  Fortunately Cal has a big yard, so we should be able to piece things out and get everything somewhere in town.


We turned and burned, heading all the way back to La Crosse, listening to the weather reports to see when we would run into the rain.  We found it just after Marilyn took over driving at Ansley, NE.  It sprinkled on and off until we hit the brunt of it at the NE/KS border...what a light show.

We hit the showers just after they had moved through and the sun was setting just below the cloud bank, making for an interesting sunset...and an awesome double rainbow...the picture doesn't do justice to it.  The lightning show was just as impressive and pretty close at times.  The rain continued all the way to La Crosse, where we pulled into the campground at 11:15pm...a 734 mile round trip today.  Tomorrow we load.

It's still raining...we sure hope it's a soaker for the area...

June 13, 2012

View of the day-Mike from Don’s Electric in Great Bend…to the rescue!

Today was the last day for Great Bend as Al went out to settle up with Ken and Kevin and Marilyn got the camper ready for transport.  Marilyn has been trying to get the icemaker working in the fridge and decided to call and see if there was anything she could get done on warranty…there is still another year left on it.

Well, they gave another number of an authorized dealer in Hays this time, so Marilyn called him.  No time right now and not for the next month, his son was away and he was by himself…and he wouldn’t do it on warranty anyway.  So much for that. 

Marilyn decided to just go for it with the new one…after all, she has thrown away $140 on worse things.  But it’s the principal of the warranty…they won’t reimburse us for the part and it has to be done by someone authorized and then they get reimbursed.  If they have the time or want to wait for their cash.

We went out for lunch…kind of the last meal at the China Buffet, then got the camper hooked up to the Dodge.  We didn’t have 50 amp here, so we had to use a 50 to 30 amp adapter.  When Al tried to unhook the adapter from the cord, he had quite the time of it…they would not let go.  After much prying and swearing, we got it apart, but one  of the blades was pretty much pulled out of the molded head on the camper cord.  We needed help.

We stopped at Sunflower Electric near the campground to see if they could help, but they were just wholesalers, but they did give us a few names to call.  The guy from LaCrosse could help us out next week…even with Marilyn sugar-coating the problem, he still wouldn’t move the date up.  Then we called Don’s Electric…wow…he called his son, Mike, who was a couple blocks away and he came right over. Talk about service.  When he got it done, we went to pay him and he told us he had no invoice book and wasn’t sure about the charge, so…”just call when you come back through town next week and we’ll have it figured out”.  Nice guy.

We left the parking lot where we were parked and headed for LaCrosse, where we had a site waiting for us…50 amp this time.  Marilyn worked on getting the camper set up, dish aimed, then bit the bullet and swapped out the icemaker valve.  SUCCESS!!  The icemaker is kicking out the ice like crazy…what a relief.

After everything was put back together, it was time to go for supper.  We had been told about Boondocks, a restaurant in McCracken, just 16 miles away and we were up for a new favourite place to have steaks…so that is where we went...and we weren't disappointed.  It was excellent.

Done for the day and still making ice...

June 12, 2012

View of the day-Shop trailer is hooked on behind the combine trailer and ready for the move north...once the combine is on the trailer.

We took it easy this morning while we came up with a "plan" for loading and moving. Getting the trailers from the bins to the card lock at Leibenthal, where the combine and tractor were parked.  It was also a day to give the compressor some action by getting the header and combine blown off for the move to South Dakota.

Marilyn went over to the Refrigeration business down the street to see if they would be able to help get the ice machine working in the RV fridge.  They couldn't help, but gave a number of someplace that could and after calling the RV place in town and getting the low down on how to test the old solenoid to see if it was working correctly, Marilyn gave it a try.  


The fridge is under warranty, but it has to be assessed by an authorized dealer before they can do anything...and they are either too far away or too busy.  Marilyn is confident that, as with the water pump, we can fix this...as long as we have the right part.  We picked up a new solenoid at the RV place and paid $50 more that we would have online...but was it worth having it in hand? Once it is installed, there is no returning it, so we have to make sure it is the problem...chicken and egg dilemma again.


We grabbed a quick lunch, then headed for the bins, got the trailers hooked up to the grain trucks, then moved the General and the pickup head over to Leibenthal.  We went back to the bins and got the Freight and the shop trailer...now everything but the little shop trailer and the camper were there.

Marilyn started cleaning the straight header and combine off, while Al got the grain trucks cleaned and serviced.  We loaded the straight header on the high speed transport and got it lined up to leave, then hooked the shop trailer behind the combine trailer.  We have nothing but time, so we didn't kill ourselves getting the big stuff loaded...that will wait until we move to LaCrosse with the camper tomorrow.

We quit around 6pm and came back to Great Bend for supper and called it a night...more planning for the rest of the week...

June 11, 2012

View of the day-A trip down memory lane...the shop trailer from a couple of years ago, when we had it pretty much organized perfectly.  Then we decided to upgrade the pressure washer...

We were up early and had company as Clifford came to settle up.  After a good visit, he was on his way and we started with our search for some clips to use in the E-track that we had gotten for the wall of the new shop trailer.  After stopping at several places, we came up empty, so we decided we would just try to make do with what we had and try and make the old ones work.

We left for Oklahoma just before noon and the road down seemed somewhat familiar...we had only been down that road eight times in the last month.  All the way down, Al kept saying we had to come up with a plan as to how we were going to transfer everything from the old shop trailer to the new one...and the most important thing was that it had to be done so that AIR was 7:30pm.  You know AIS is usually directed at Marilyn...she has to have her "A$$ In Seat" by a certain time...she had no idea what he was talking about.  Apparently it was to apply to Al and he wanted his "A$$ In Recliner" so he could watch the last game of the Stanley Cup hockey playoff.

We got to Burlington and parked strategically to start the transfer.  The plastic tubs and Staples paper boxes came out to take all the tools off the pegboards and the tops of the tool  box and counter.  After getting the E-Track mounted on one side, we weaseled the pressure washer out the door and up the ramp to its new home.  During the whole move, we kept saying how great having the ramp was to load things.

We got the tool box lightened up by taking out most of the drawers, then with the help of RL, we got it moved to its new spot on the other side of the trailer.  Most of the tubs and smaller items just got put on the floor to be put away when we have more time...which could be sooner that later, since we don't have anything lined up.

The last thing to get removed was the compressor and it was bolted to the floor, so it was more of a task to get moved, but once it was freed from its shackles, we rolled it over to its new spot in the back of the trailer.  Everything was moved and it was just a matter of sweeping out the old shop and closing it up. We will get RL to fix it the best he can and then we will come back to pick it up and take it back home...to sell, or use as storage, or perhaps it will be the new garage for our M88 combine and header.

We hooked up and headed back for Great Bend, stopping in Pratt for supper at KFC, then back to the camper to make plans for tomorrow.

Cleaning and loading, now that we have the compressor back...